Der Schatten des Zero (Zero's Shadow)
by SaberKarra Knight
Summary: A strange female reploid who resembles Zero enters the picture...who is she, and why is she in Jack's unit, the worst unit of all the hunters? *Chapter 4 up!* I'm sorry for the delay in posting it, I wanted to make sure ff.net was fully back first
1. Chapter 1

1.1 Disclaimer: I don't own Megaman X, Capcom does. The mysterious black Reploid is mine, so please ask if you want to use her.  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Chapter 1  
  
X sighed. This was not going at all how he expected. They just were not ready for such high demands on their skills…  
  
"Ok guys, that's all for now…" The hunters sighed gratefully and headed toward their respective quarters. X walked out and massaged his sinuses. They need more practice…they won't survive for more than a minute if they fight like that in a real battle…X was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not hear someone sneaking up on him…  
  
"Gotcha!!" X cried out and jumped a foot, before wheeling around to see a familiar crimson form, laughing hard. "HAHA…god X, you musta really been deep in thought…slacking off?" A small smile crept up X's face.  
  
"No Zero…just thinking…" His tone made it clear to Zero as to what he was thinking about.  
  
"Bad training session again, huh?" X sighed and nodded. Zero chuckled. "Gotta love the rookies…"  
  
"Unless they pick up the pace they won't have a chance…"  
  
"Give 'em time…or let me handle them for a few days." X smiled.  
  
"Time, yes…you, no."  
  
"Hey!" X grinned and sprinted down the hallway, Zero in hot pursuit. "What's that supposed to mean?" X laughed, and continued. He rounded a corner, and stopped dead in his tracks. Zero, not knowing X had stopped, plowed into him, and sent them both crashing to the floor.  
  
"Ow!" Zero managed to untangle himself from X, and helped him up. "What's the big…" Zero's attention swayed to a figure at the end of the hall; an unfamiliar reploid stood gazing out the window. Her armor was darker than night, traced with silver, like moonbeams. Her long, ebony hair was tied back much like Zeros', and hung past her thighs, swaying softly in the air currents. At the sound of his voice, her gaze turned in their direction, cold lavender eyes regarding them carefully. After a few moments, she spoke.  
  
"Well well, look who we have here…" Her voice was dark and cool, a hint of a Germanic accent present. "The Blue Boy and Blondie out having some fun…" Zero frowned. Blondie? Footsteps were heard coming towards them down the corridor.  
  
"Hey, Rookie!" The female reploid whirled about, and scowled. A tall, chunky Reploid came into view. His armor was a pine green, trimmed with yellow. He had a thick, messy beard, and brown eyes. His harsh, booming voice could never be mistaken for anyone else's. "What the hell are you doing? Training started 10 minutes ago! Thanks to your lack of time keeping, the session shall continue for twice as long. Get going!" She stared at him, fire burning in her eyes. For a moment, Zero thought she was going to snap back at him, but instead, she faced them.  
  
"Auf Wiedersehen boys…" She winked and sprinted off down the corridor, her hair flowing gracefully behind her. Jack sighed and looked at Zero and X, who conveniently kept their faces expressionless.  
  
"I don't know what I'm going to do with her…skipping training and disobeying my orders…she's a handful...stubborn German…Well, good day to you." He turned and followed her.  
  
"And he wonders why no one likes him…" X muttered. Zero snorted. "Did you see the look in her eyes? She hates him…"  
  
"Who doesn't?" replied Zero sarcastically. "But…'Blondie'?" X was about to say something when the alarm klaxons went off. They both cursed and ran to the meeting room, where Alia was waiting for them.  
  
"Maverick attack?" She nodded.  
  
"Yeah…" A diagram materialized, showing it on the edge of the city. "It's odd, they aren't attacking in the usual fashion. Get three members from each of your units and go out to investigate."  
  
"Hai!" They turned to leave.  
  
"Hold it!" They stopped in mid-stride. "There will be another unit going with you…"  
  
"Whose?" asked Zero. Alia frowned.  
  
"Jacks…"  
  
"WHAT???!!!" both cried. She sighed.  
  
"The rookies in his unit need the field experience. It would do them good to actually fight."  
  
"So in other words we're baby-sitting?" questioned Zero.  
  
"If you wanna call it that, yeah…" They groaned. "Just make sure that they don't get into too much trouble. Should things start to turn ugly, get them out of there. Am I clear?"  
  
"Hai…"  
  
"Good…now get going!" Without another word, they turned and left. Once outside, X was fortunate enough to hear a long string of curses from his companion.  
  
"God dammit…" Zero growled. "Of all the available units, she had to pick his!" X sighed.  
  
"My day just keeps going from bad to worse…" Zero grinned.  
  
"Yeah, but maybe he'll finally get what's been coming to him…"  
  
"Zero…"  
  
"Does it hurt to hope?" X sighed.  
  
"Well, no sense moping over it…let's go." They beeped the three best members of their units, and in 2 minutes met in the garage. Jack's unit was already there, waiting for them. Zero looked around, and did not see the mysterious female reploid among them. Jack seemed in even more a foul mood then usual, so he did not bother asking where she was.  
  
"Everyone ready?" called X.  
  
"Hai!" was the reply.  
  
"All right, let's head 'em up and move 'em out!" They all piled onto bikes, and blew through the doors, speeding towards the direction where the Maverick activity had been detected.  
  
  
  
Note: Major thanx to Vincent Valentine for beta reading! n_n 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own X and company, Capcom does. Wish I did though. The girl reploid and Jack's unit belong to me, so please ask if u would like to use them.  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the site. All that is seen of a battle is a few burning shrubs, and some scorch marks on the ground.  
  
"Ok boys," said Jack. "Let's see what you can make of the situation. Szymion!"  
  
"Ye-yes sir?" stuttered the orange-clad Reploid.  
  
"Tell me…what would you do in this situation?" His gaze narrowed onto the smaller Reploid.  
  
"Uh…um…send in a squad to check…it out…and uh, leave a squad for back-up?"  
  
"Is that a question or a statement?" Jack's cold eyes bore right through Szymion, who was shaking. The orange reploid took a deep breath.  
  
"Send out a squad on alert, and keep one behind for back-up." Jack humphed.  
  
"Good to know something gets through that thick head of yours…" Szymion winced as everyone heard the insult, and hung his head. "Now, you rookies go, and..." Suddenly, a loud explosion is heard.  
  
"What the hell?!" Jack cried. A sound of mad laughter was heard, and another explosion was felt. A faint 'You guys suck! C'mon you Maverick losers!' floated to their ears, causing grins to appear on the rookies' faces.  
  
"Let's go have some fun, guys!" called out Ken, a rookie clad in a bright yellow, trimmed with red.  
  
"Yeah!" chorused the rest, and Jack's unit charged forward, without waiting for his ok.  
  
"Hold it!" Jack yelled angrily. All but two of them kept going, not wanting to miss the action. Zero found watching Jack's struggle to command his unit quite amusing, and sniggered quietly to himself.  
  
"And Jack calls himself a commander…"muttered X under his breath, just loud enough for Zero and his men to hear. Zero snorted, catching Jack's attention. Before Jack could say anything, a piercing shriek cut through the air, and a severely beaten Maverick landed on the ground not too far from them. His armor was cracked, and in many places chunks were missing. Large gashes covered his exposed body, blood oozing from the wounds. A collective sweatdrop appeared on their heads. The Mavericks' eyes fluttered open, full of pain, and saw Zero.  
  
"Praise…t…the…lord…" he stuttered. "The…there…is…a…god…" He coughed, blood trickling out the corner of his mouth. "Ke…keep her…aw…away…from...m…me…ki…kill…me…now…" The Mavericks' eyes closed and he passed out, leaving a state of confusion amongst the Reploids…except for one…  
  
"Dammit!" Jack growled. "I told her not to come on this mission!" He ran off toward the sounds of battle. The remaining two members of his unit looked at each other, and burst out laughing as soon as he was out of earshot.  
  
"HAHA!!!! Oh my god, did you see the look on his face???!"  
  
"Yeah man, that was priceless!"  
  
"There's no way he's gonna get her ta listen to him…" X frowned and approached the two rookies, who ceased their merriment immediately.  
  
"There was no female amongst your ranks here," he said. "Who are you talking of?" The shorter of the two, clad in a light purple armor, stepped forward and spoke up.  
  
"She's the newest member of our unit…her armor allows her to turn invisible for a while, and blend in with her surroundings. She hitched a ride on our bike, and while Jack was yakking, she snuck ahead. Everyone in our unit knew about it…save for Jack." He sniggered. Zero approached them, interested about the girl.  
  
"What's her name?" asked Zero. The rookie grinned.  
  
"Her name is…"  
  
"Commanders!" called one of the other hunters. "I think you guys should see this!" The other hunters were looking over the edge of the dune, watching the events taking place. Zero, X, and the two rookies ran over, and looked down. A startling sight met their eyes: the Mavericks who weren't already dead were running for their lives, away from a lone female Reploid clad in ebony. In her hand was a glowing green beam sabre, still dripping with fresh Maverick blood. Her armor was not damaged in any way, and the only things on it were a few splatters of crimson. Her eyes danced with a wild gleam, alight with fierce pleasure.  
  
"Take this!" She leaped into the air, and swung the sword down, sending a wave of fire at the fleeing Mavericks, knocking them to the ground. She landing gracefully, and walked toward them, a smirk plastered on her face.  
  
"You boys fight decently…" she purred. "But not decently enough…" She raised her saber for a final blow, but a bright flash of light blinded her, and when it vanished, the Mavericks were gone.  
  
"Scheiβe!" she exclaimed violently. The beam on her sword faded, and she flipped her hair over her shoulder. Her gaze traveled to the hunters watching her from the ledge above, and she winked at them.  
  
"Guten Tag, boys…" she called up to them. The rest of her unit ran up to her, smiling and cheering. She grinned back, and then frowned as Jack approached. The others scrambled behind her, clearing the path. Zero, X, and the remaining reploids slid down the slope, and stood off to the side, watching.  
  
"Hey, Blondie…" she tossed the saber to Zero, who caught it, confused. "Thanks for letting me use that." Zero reached back for the familiar hilt of his own sword; all his hand met was empty air…Jack stared at her, hate burning in his eyes.  
  
"Girl…" his voice is barely above a whisper, anger dripping from every word. "I told you not to come, and remain in your quarters…why do you disobey me?" She smirked devilishly.  
  
"Because you're a 'Jack'-ass…" Stifled laughter ran through the members of her unit, even X and Zero were having trouble keeping their amusement concealed. Jack burned a bright red, and before anyone could act, had grabbed her by the collar, and was holding her 8 inches off the ground.  
  
"What did you call me?" X looked over to the other members of her unit.  
  
"Aren't you guys gonna break them up?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"Naw," replied Ken. "They do this every day…" The girl looked into Jack's eyes, equal rage burning in hers.  
  
"You heard me, Dummkopf…Du bist ein häßlicher, stinkender…" Next thing they knew, Jack had punched her in the face, and threw her to the ground. As soon as she hit, she was up again, and delivered a swift roundhouse kick to his head, causing him to stumble. She kicked him in the chest, grabbed him in a headlock, and refused to let go.  
  
"Hey, break it up!" called X. He and the others ran forward. X grabbed onto the girl, trying to pry her off Jack, while the others tried to help. He finally managed to get her off, but that was a mistake. She kicked backwards, catching him in the groin, and then slammed backwards with her elbow, directly into his stomach. He wheezed, and she knocked him flat to the ground. She gazed down at him, breathing hard.  
  
"No one touches me, Blue Boy," she growled, eyeing Jack warily. "Nobody…"  
  
German translations:  
  
Scheiβe= Shit!  
  
Guten Tag= Hello  
  
Dummkopf= dummy  
  
Du bist ein häßlicher, stinkender…= you are an ugly, stinky…  
  
Note: Again, major thanks to Vincent Valentine for beta reading! Thanks to Taree for correcting the German phrases. n_n Well, it's been two chapters and the female reploid's name is still unknown! :P Don't ya'll just love suspense? Ya'll will find out soon though… 


	3. Chapter 3

1 Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Megaman X and co. The female reploid is mine though, so please ask if you would like to use her. Song lyrics belong to Rammstein, not me.  
  
2  
  
3 Chapter 3  
  
"You guys did WHAT??!!" shrieked Alia. X, Zero, and their men looked grim, none without bruises, and some with bloody noses. Zero's armor was smeared with dirt, and a chip was missing from the left fin on his helmet. "I'm ashamed of you boys! Picking a fight with rookies??? What were you thinking?!" Zero frowned. That wasn't how it went...  
  
* Flashback *  
  
I saw that girl take X down with three hits…and I was amazed…I had never seen anyone be able to take X out so quickly. There had to have been more to this female than first appeared. X's unit, seeing their leader taken out, leaped in and began attacking the girl, but found themselves facing Jack's entire unit. Before I could give the order to my men not to interfere, they ran into the fray. It was a scene of total chaos: hunter vs. rookie, and the sad thing was: our men were being beaten badly…I sighed, drew my saber, and joined into the madness. Things ended quickly after that…  
  
* End flashback *  
  
"Serves you guys right…" Alias' voice interrupted Zero's thoughts. "And in the middle of a mission! Maybe getting beat up by those rookies will knock something into those thick heads of yours. Now go get cleaned up, and be back here in an hour." The depressed reploids turned and left, leaving Alia to fume alone. Out in the hall, the two units separated, heading in different directions. Zero headed for his quarters, and flopped down on his bed. His thoughts drifted to the girl, and he realized he still didn't know her name. He wondered where she came from, and what the hell she was doing in Jack's unit…  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Ach, nein…" The female reploid stood in front of her mirror, trying to brush out her long luxurious hair, without having much success. Sighing, she tossed the brush aside, and pulled her hair back once again into a ponytail. Her room was painted stark black; she'd somehow set up a projector that made the walls dance with the reflections of water. The window was open, a soft breeze blowing in. On her desk was a computer, and a large boom box, currently playing a soft, mellow song.  
  
"Argh, they never play any good music!" She switched her stereo to CD, selected track 6, and cranked to volume up to full. Grinning, she jumped on top of her bed, playing an air guitar, and sang at the top of her lungs.  
  
"Wer zu Lebzeit gut auf Erden," she sang. " Wird nach dem Tod ein Engel werden…" Hunters walking around outside heard her, wondering what the heck she was saying. Glancing out the window, she leaped off her bed, and stuck her head out the window, the wind playing with her luxurious hair.  
  
"Tag!" She called. "Magst du meine Musik?" Laughing at their confused expressions, she ducked back inside, and continued singing. "Wir haben Angst und sind allein…Gott weiss ich will kein Engel sei…huh?" Loud knocking interrupted her in mid-lyric.  
  
"Einen moment!" She walked over to the door, turning down her radio as she passed by. Opening the door, she peered out. "Kann ich dir…" She frowned as Jack's figure filled the doorframe. "What do you want?"  
  
"Get your gear…" he growled darkly. "And be in the briefing room in ten minutes…" He turned and prepared to leave. "We're going on a special mission…thanks to your little stunt earlier…" Without waiting for an answer, he left down the hall. As she closed her door, her frown slowly changed into a grin.  
  
"Gott weiss ich will kein Engel sein…" She walked over to her desk, and opened a drawer. Inside was a medium-sized box. She carefully removed the lid, and inside it was the silver hilt of a beam saber. Taking it in her right hand, it lit up instantaneously, its blade a dark purple, blacks flames dancing around it.  
  
"Die Zeit ist jetzt…" she said softly, watching the flames. Lifting it above her head, she sheathed it on her back. She carefully removed the CD from her stereo, placed it into its case, and put it into a small pack. Slinging the pack over her shoulder, she walked out into the hallway, locking the door behind her. Tossing her head proudly, she headed down the hallway, humming merrily.  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
Zero sighed, and beeped his unit. He carefully pulled his freshly washed hair back into his traditional ponytail, still wondering about that girl. A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts.  
  
"Hey Zero, you ready?" X's voice called.  
  
"Just a sec," replied Zero. He slid his helmet over his head, and walked over to the door. Opening it revealed the familiar form of his azure friend. Stepping into the hall, he closed the door behind him, locking it.  
  
"Any clue what this is about?" wondered X. Zero shrugged.  
  
"Nope…" The two started down the hall, walking in thoughtful silence. After a few minutes, they reached the briefing room, and saw their units waiting for them. Alia was not there yet, and the group was talking amongst themselves. As they pair crossed the room, the chatting ceased.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Vince, a white clad reploid with green trimmings. The commanders shrugged in unison.  
  
"Dunno," replied X. "but we'll probably find out-" X was cut off by the sound of the door being violently opened. Everyone turned, and was met by the sight of a reploid outlined in the doorframe, long hair riding the air currents softly. Entering the room, her ebony form took shape, and her lavender eyes sparkled with amusement.  
  
"Well, lookie what we have here…" she purred. "The gang's all here…" She looked at Zero, and winked. "Hey Blondie…it's been what, only an hour since I last saw you?" Zero clenched his fist.  
  
" My name is Zero, rookie…" His tone was cold. She pouted.  
  
"Aw, you're no fun, Blondie."  
  
"It's Zero."  
  
"Whatever Blondie…" She went, and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms, bored.  
  
"What are YOU doing here, anyway?" asked X sharply. Her lilac eyes met his, cold and piercing.  
  
"Same thing you are, Blue Boy…waiting for orders…" She flipped her hair to the side, the hilt of her saber flashed in the light.  
  
"It's X…" he said irritably. She put up her hand, palm facing him.  
  
"Sprich mit meiner Hand, " she said. Zero was about to snap back when a loud slam announced Jack's arrival, the rest of his unit trailing behind him.  
  
"Girl!" he called. "Not getting into trouble, are we?" Her lilac eyes hardened, and she said nothing. "Good." Jack's gaze traveled about the room, resting on the group of X's and Zero's units. As soon as his eyes were busy, the ebony huntress made a rude gesture, sending a fit of snorts through the rookies. Jack wheeled around.  
  
"What are you rookies laughing at?!" They instantly fell silent. "You won't be so cheerful once this mission starts…"  
  
"Do you know something we don't?" asked Zero, his voice cold. Jack faced the Crimson Hunter.  
  
'You were not informed of our next mission?"  
  
"Whoa, whoa, hold it," called Vince. "What do you mean 'we'?" Before Jack could reply, Alia burst through the door.  
  
"All rights boys," she barked.  
  
"Und Mädchen…" called the ebony huntress from her spot on the wall.  
  
"Listen up. Your units' behavior earlier was inexcusable. You will learn to work together, whether you like it or not." She paused, gazing around the room. "The tension has not gone unnoticed during the past few weeks…"  
  
"And how do you propose we do that?" spat Akira, a maroon hunter from Zero's unit. Alia glared at him.  
  
"All of you shall be going on a special training mission for two weeks. You'll be alone in the middle of nowhere. You will need to depend on each other for survival. You'll be under surveillance, and for every time a fight brakes out between your units, and extra day will be added for every member involved in the fight. Am I clear?" The room was dead silent for all of about ten seconds before hell broke loose.  
  
"WHHHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTT?????!!!!"  
  
"TWO WEEKS???! WITH THEM???!!"  
  
"ARE YOU INSANE??!" Most of the protests were from X's and Zero's units. Apparently, Jack had found out ahead of time, and had informed his unit, who remained silent. The ebony huntress got off the wall, and walked over into the middle of the room.  
  
"Why are you guys putting up such a big stink about it?" her voice pierced through the din, and the room fell silent again. "We're stuck doing it, so lasst es gut sein!! Ihr stellt euch an wie Kleinkinder! You don't see us complaining, do you?"  
  
"What do you hafta complain about?" shot back Akira.  
  
"Other than the fact of being with hunters with egos grösser als Russland? Nichts…" The din broke out again.  
  
"You son of a-"  
  
"Who the hell do you think you-"  
  
"ENOUGH!!!" shrieked Alia. "You all WILL learn to work together, or kiss your Hunter careers goodbye!" Dead silence filled the room. "Out there, you shall be completely on your own…you will have no contact with HQ what-so-ever. At the end of your mission, you will be teleported back here, but you must be at the spot we teleported you to, or you will be stuck out there…understood?"  
  
"Hai…" was the mumbled response.  
  
"Good. We are going to send you out there now, and there will be no ifs, ands or butts about it, got it?!"  
  
"Hai…" The ebony huntress smiled.  
  
This is going to be an interesting two weeks…she thought as they were teleported out of HQ and into the unknown.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Oops, I did it again! Another chapter and we don't know her name yet. ^_^'' Like it, hate it? Tell me please! Again, kudos to Vincent Valentine for beta reading! Also, major thanks to Taree for beta reading the German phrases, and correcting me when it was wrong ^_^  
  
German references  
  
Tag! : Hi!  
  
Magst du meine Musik? : Like my music?  
  
Gott weiss ich will kein Engel sein…: God knows I don't wanna be an angel  
  
Einen moment! : Just a minute!  
  
Kann ich dir helfen: Can I help you?  
  
Die Zeit ist jetzt…: The time is now…  
  
Sprich mit meiner Hand: talk to the hand  
  
Und Mädchen: and girls  
  
Lasst es gut sein!: Deal with it!  
  
Ihr stellt euch an wie Kleinkinder!: You're like little kids!  
  
grösser als Russland: bigger than Russia  
  
Nichts…: nothing… 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them, aside from the ebony huntress, Jack, and his unit.  
  
The sky rumbled, lightening playing leapfrog from cloud to cloud. The incoming hunters illuminated the darkness briefly. No sooner had they all arrived, then the clouds decided to relieve themselves of their cargo. "Ugh.joy," muttered X under his breath. In a few seconds, he and the others were drenched from head to toe, the ground turning to mud under their feet. "Hunters!" called Zero over the roar of the thunder. "We need to find shelter!" He drew his saber, providing a small source of light through the bitter darkness. Several of the other hunters in his unit followed suit, and soon there was enough light for them to see at least 5 feet in every direction. Huddling by themselves off to the side were the miserable members of Jack's unit. The ebony huntress stood at the edge of the ring of light, surveying the situation. The ground was extremely muddy, which meant they could not travel very fast. The pouring rain made visibility practically zip, not to mention it was night. Das ist nicht gut. she thought. We're sitting ducks.I just hope. "All right, my unit, follow me!" Jack roared, cutting into her thoughts, holding a large flashlight. The miserable rookies cast a longful glance at the other hunters before following him. She sighed, and waved at them, most directly at Zero. "Tschue?!" She winked before taking off after her unit, her hair bouncing gracefully behind her, leaving the others staring after her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Three hours later.  
  
"Oh, for.!" Zero let out a string of obscenities as he realized he'd stepped into a sinkhole for the fifth time in the past few hours. Pulling his leg free with a sickening splurt, he continued to grumble under his breath. Things had not been going well.they'd almost lost three hunters from mud-traps, and they still hadn't found any shelter. He slashed at some foliage in his way, cutting a path for the hunters behind him. "SHIMATTA!" He heard a hunter curse behind him. Zero turned, and saw Akira waist-deep in the sinkhole, and was sinking rapidly. Why me.thought Zero. He walked over, and with the aid of three other hunters, managed to pull Akira from the sinkhole. "Man, this SUCKS!" grumbled Akira, dripping in mud. " It's so stupid! I wanna go back to HQ." "Stop your whining," snapped Zero. "And deal with it like a real hunter." Grumbling about spoiled greenhorns, he continued on ahead, the rest of the hunters following quietly behind him. It was going to be a long two weeks.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Meanwhile.  
  
Jack's unit had slightly more success than Zero's and X's units. They found a large, rocky overhang jutting out from the side of a tall mountain. Setting up a temporary camp, they all huddled close to one another, shivering and dripping with water. The ebony huntress stood alone, water dripping gently from her long hair to the ground beneath. If she was cold, she didn't show it as her lilac eyes took in their surrounding as best as possible in the dark. This area won't be safe for very long, she thought. The water will flood us out unless it stops raining soon.She turned, and faced them. "We should move soon.the rain will flood us out unless we move." Jack came forward. "We are staying right here," he growled. "This will suffice." "Aber.if we stay here we'll b." Jack approached her, and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. "We aren't going anywhere.and you are in no position to argue. Am I clear?" She glared at him, and said nothing. "Answer me!" "Ich hasse dich." He frowned, and a large SMACK met the rookies' ears. "Don't waste that German crap on me." he snarled. "It won't do you any good." "Ich interessiere mich nicht, was du sagst." she growled. "Du kannst meinen Esel küssen, du Sohn eines Weibchens!" Jack threw her to the ground, drew his beam sword, and slashed at her. The rookies gasped at their commanders' aggression towards her. She rolled to the side, but the blow landed on her left cheek. Jumping to her feet, she hissed at Jack, the fresh wound running from the corner of her left eye down to her chin. Her pain was hidden under a mask of fury. "Leave." "WHAT???!" came the chorused reply. "Was?!" "Leave." he growled again. "And don't come back until you have learned to respect authority and gotten some manners.GO!" He raised his buster at her. She frowned, and cast a look at her fellow unit members, most of whom were completely shocked. Her eyes met Szymions'. "Don't go.he whispered. She gave him a small grin. "Ich komme züruck." she said softly, before Jack fired at her. She nimbly dodged the blast, and then ran off into the trees, vanishing in the rain.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Zero sighed, and gratefully wrung out his long, sopping hair. After five long, wearisome hours, they had finally found a cave in a Cliffside, facing a large body of water. From the salty scent in the air, Zero figured it was an ocean, but which one he didn't have a clue. It was still pouring outside, but at least they were out of immediate danger, and that was the important thing now. He cast his gaze over the rest of the hunters, most of whom were either asleep, or talking quietly amongst themselves. "I wonder what Jacks' unit is up to?" muttered a rookie softly. "Who knows.and who really cares?" whispered back another. "Just so long as it ain't us out there." "But they could be in trouble." replied a third. "Do you want to go out there and look for them?" hissed the second. Silence. "Didn't think so." "What are you rookies talking about?" Each one jumped in surprise at Zero's voice, who had approached them quietly. "Not being disrespectful, are we?" "Eto.nope," replied the first, a sweatdrop on the side of his head. "Nuthin' doing," replied the third. "Just talking about Jack and.umph!" The other two their hands over his mouth. "Shut up!" they hissed. Zero raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you that the next ones out for patrol haven't been selected yet?" They shook their heads viciously. "Good.now get some rest. You'll need it." Sighing, the three rookies nodded, and complied with his suggestion. Thank god, he thought. Maybe now I can get some peace and quiet.Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of movement. He turned around, and his gaze landed on the dripping silhouette of X. He motioned for Zero to come to him. Zero carefully made his way to X, and the pair stepped just outside the mouth of the cave, but still protected from the rain by the rocky roof. "Are you worried about them?" questioned X. Zero frowned. "Jack's unit?" X nodded. "The rookies in his unit, yeah.Jack? I don't really give a damn about him." "Zero." "Yea, I know.he may be a commander, but that doesn't mean I hafta like him." "Do you think we should look for them?" Zero pondered the question for a moment before answering. "Looking for them now would be pointless.we'd be sending out rescue parties for the rescuers.If we haven't heard from them in 2 days from now, we'll go look for them." "I wonder how they are doing? I hope they at least found shelter.it was unwise for us to split up like that.but with our units hating theirs and vice-versa." Zero chuckled. "Well, we couldn't force them to stay with us." His thoughts drifted to the ebony huntress. "But I think as long as she's with them, they'll be fine."  
  
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Cold, dripping, and completely pissed, the obsidian huntress took shelter in the branches of a large tree. Verdammst du, Jack-ass.she thought. I'll be back, and when I am.Ich führe du aus. ****************************************************************  
  
Well, here's Chapter 4. Sorry it took so long to post.I wanted to wait and make sure ff.net was up ta full strength again before I posted it. Be sure to look for the next one soon ^^ Kudos to Vincent Valentine and Silver Sonic for beta reading.  
  
German references Das ist nicht gut: This isn't good Tschue?!: See ya! Aber.: But. Ich hasse du.: I hate you Ich interessiere mich nicht, was du sagst.: I don't care what you say. Du kannst meinen Esel küssen, du Sohn eines Weibchens!: You can kiss my ass, you son of a bitch! Was?!: What?! Ich komme züruck.: I'll come back. Verdammst du: Damn you Ich führe du aus.: I'll take you out. 


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